Kern
History Kern is the satyr -born child of the goddess Shalune. After the War of the Burning Heavens, when many of the gods lay dead from the battles with the demonic hordes that tried to break into the material plane, the goddess Shalune was very lonely and quickly fading from the world. Her followers were mostly those of the forest. She along with Huran and Sylvana, were aided by their Druid followers to keep their forests safe from the demonic invaders. TAMO Kern was created without the knowledge or permission of the Mother, Amara . Shalune found the body of a young boy - a novice druid, who was nearly killed during the war. The boy was no older than twelve or thirteen and had defended X. Shalune, having lost so much during the war, decided that her happiness could be returned if she had someone to love; someone that was hers. Being unable to birth a child of her own, she would take the boy and make him hers. His injuries were severe and she had spent a great deal of her energy in the battles so she would need the life force of a great beast to transfer into the child. She found one of the guardians of the mountains, a Ram named 'X' and drew him to her with an 'INSTRUMENT'. When he was close enough she snared him with a spell and drew out his immortal life spark to transfer it to her child. The transference healed the boy's wounds but also transformed him slightly to give him the part of the appearance of the Ram from which he was elevated. From his forehead sprouted the curled horns of 'X' and his feet pointed and cloven and his legs grew shaggy hair. He became a Satyr. Since he was created in the aftermath of the War, his mother - Shalune - was quickly being pushed out of the world by the great shield of divine power which kept the outsiders, such as the demons, out of the prime material plane. As a consequence, this shield also kept the gods from walking upon the world. Kern, as only an immortal, remained but was alone. To ensure that his mother could hear him whereever he traveled within the forests, she gave him the flute (not Satyr Pipes, but a Sharm eventually called the Kern's Flute ) she used to summon the Ram. Years later, when Kern was hunting in one of the great forests, he came upon another immortal: the child of Arn and Allure, Agron. Agron was perfect; blessed with a strong body from his father and beauty by his mother he was a stunning site to behold. Kern, knowing how the other gods treated him because his mother 'stole' the immortality of another being to create him, kept himself hidden in the bushes and watched in fascination. When Agron finished bathing and dressed to leave; he left his bow and quiver of arrows hanging in a nearby tree. Kern waited to see if he would return and eventually walked to the tree to claim it. Agron materialized out of the Green and Kern was startled. The two were the newest of the gods - and both were created roughly at the same time; Kern through his mother's magic and Agron through the love his parents felt after the battle. The two boys were young, in their late teens but still growing into their power. Unlike Agron who was embraced as a deity who would bolster the ranks of the gods in the wake of so much destruction, Kern was seen as a mistake. Agron left the bow hanging to draw Kern out of the bushes. Once he had him there, in front of him, he could introduce himself. Agron already knew that Kern would not be welcomed at Godshome so decided to keep his friendship with 'the mistake' a secret. To cement the friendship he gave Kern his bow; an enchanted Bronzewood Bow called 'Long Shot '. Satyrs Kern, when he was in his younger days, wasted no time in discovering the pleasures of women. He was known to bed a hundred women in a single year alone. Unknown to him, anytime he slept with a woman she was guaranteed to bare him a child and it was, without fail, a son. That son, born as a human, would grow up normally until the first crescent moon of his 13th year. Upon that night, commemorating the same age that Kern was when his mother, Shalune , saved his life, he will be transformed into a Satyr. Unfortunately for Kern, it was thirteen years after he began producing children that he discovered they were 'cursed' to become what he was; a satyr or, for the children of elves, Sileni . Once he discovered their fate he quickly changed his ways. He saught help for his sons from the Great Mother, Amara. She reminded him that when he was younger he was warned by one of her priestesses that his actions would have consequences. All told there were several thousand of his sons now upon the world - each one of them a Satyr . Of all of his first born, none were born as women - Amara made absolutely certain of that. Kern promised the goddess that he would never sleep with another woman (which would create a son without fail) unless she was fully aware of the consequences. Satyr Born Though Kern, himself, ceased procreating with such abandon in an attempt to halt the spread of his kind, his sons had no such limitation. The Satyr were also blessed with fertility. Each time they would lie with a woman there was no doubt that she would bare him a child. This time, however, the child would be born as either a boy or a girl and would remain so. The only sign that they were ever conceived from a Satyr is the presence of a defiant nature and a stubborn will. Satyr Born children will go their own way in life and few, if any, can stop them. Rites and Observances ''Initiations Followers of Kern are only initiated during their monthly gathering. The initiates are brought to the grove and stripped of their clothing and possessions. They are then symbolically 'wounded' by the other followers who use willow branches to whip the person as they run through a gauntlet. The strikes are supposed to be symbolic of the injuries that Kern suffered while fighting with the Demons during the War of the Burning Heavens. At the End of the Gauntlet the initiate is welcomed by a woman playing the part of Shalune who sacrifices a ram and heals the wounds. After the sacrifice, she annoints him with a pair of horns to wear for the rest of the evening and the members of the grove feast on the remains of the slaughtered ram. The initiate will know the 13 pleasures of Kern before dawn - after which he will be considered a member of the faith. Few outside the faith know all of the pleasures but a few have managed to work their way into song and stories around taverns and such. *The Pleasures of the Flesh *The Pleasures of the Ears *The Pleasures of the Tongue *The Pleasures of the Flame *The Pleasures of the Cold At some point during the feast, the initiate will be marked by the symbol of Kern; a simple v-like tattoo of a set of ram's horns. The tattoo is small, no larger than a coin and is always placed somewhere difficult to find. Few are aware of the process of being marked but they quickly discover it the next morning. The usual locations include the inside of the bicept, back of the ankle, inside of the thigh, etc. Annual Rites To the Followers of Kern, there more sacred time of year than of Harvest. During the Monthly gathering under the Satyr's moon, the followers will throw a lavish banquet with the gathered food which will keep them through winter. Monthly Rites Followers of Kern will gather under the Satyr's Moon - a crescent moon in honor of his mother, Shalune . His followers typically gather in an area known as a Satyr's Grove which is where his shrines are typically located. There they will celebrate with feast, wine and sexual intercourse with wild abandon. Satyr's Groves are usually known to all local Satyr who will visit said groves on occasion - especially during a Satyr's Moon where they are the guest of honor. It is considered a great honor to 'milk' a Satyr of his seed which is a sacred substance to witches. The Seed of a Satyr contains so much fertility that can assist any male, of nearly any species, in impregnating a female. Farmers use it to ensure the fertility of their herds and women will often use it with their husband when a child is not forthcoming. Sacred Items *'Metal:Bronze *'Animal: '''Satyr *'Season: 'Autumn *'Element: Earth *'Prime Hour: '''Dusk *'Holy Symbol': A set of Ram's Horns *'Favored Weapon: Short Bow *'Colors: '''A mixture of Brick red, pale yellow and earthy green *'Plant: 'Satyr Leaf Followers Followers of Kern range from Witches, Druids or Rangers. Typically any forest folk will know his name and how to call his Sons should the need arise. As Kern is only an immortal he still can reside upon the mortal plane and as such is the living will of his mother, Shalune. As such, those wishing to learn Witchcraft will often seek out Kern or his Sons to barter for such knowledge. Known Followers Follower/Kern Orders Order/Kern Temples Temples to Kern are few and far between. Normally such areas of worship are little more than shrines called a 'Satyr's Grove '. 'Known Temples: Temple/Kern images Category:Deity/Immortal